Help Josh Fight Cancer Fund

I’m Joshua Metz, a filmmaker, an artist, and many other things to many people.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not someone who takes free money.  I believe in earning what you get, and working towards your dreams with blood, sweat, and tears.  It is because of this, that I find this plea so difficult to make.

You see, the early part of March 2017, I decided I was going to make the move to LA.  I had been doing some commercial filmmaking, and had a steady job as a producer for a mom and pop business that educates the world on revenue assurance.  I wasn’t making a lot of money, but I had saved up enough to head west.  The morning after telling work I was going to head out, I woke up with a very painful lower back.

The short story of that hospital visit, was that I not only had a kidney stone (which is gone now) but I had a growth on my right kidney that they thought was cancerous, and sure enough, is.  At the time, I didn’t have insurance, due to the cost of rent, my car payment, car insurance, and other miscellaneous bills.  It came down to either I continue working and not receive treatment, or head back to Indiana, move back in with my parents, and receive treatment for my cancer.  I moved back home mid-March.

The good news is, I’ll be undergoing surgery at the end of August to remove the growth.  There’s a 90% cure rate, and a 5% chance that it’ll return.  While those odds seem like there might be a gap for error, I’m told that’s the best you can hope for in the medical industry.  There’s some additional potential risks, but they seem to be common for this type of surgery.

I was able to live somewhat off the savings I had to move to LA, but those funds are exhausted now.  I cannot continue to burden my family with my bills.  They’ve been kind enough to cover what they can, but they cannot continue to pay for me to keep my car, and pay on my insurance.  I would have gone to work a long time ago, but the doctor/surgeon have forbidden me to work until after the surgery and the recovery period.  Meanwhile, my medical bills, my car note, and other bills pile up.  I’ve done small little commissions here and there with my art to help with gas, part of my car insurance, and food, but it’s just not enough.

The money will be used to pay on the most important expenses at the moment.  Stuff like my car note, my insurance, etc. will be paid for with the money you generously donate.  Seriously, even if it’s a couple bucks, I am more than grateful that you’re even reading this, let alone donating to help me fight this cancer.

If you don’t feel like just handing money over, I get it.  If you want something in return, perhaps you can commission me to do some art for you.  I do 2D/3D art, as well as animation in 2D/3D.  I also do filmmaking, so editing, digital special effects, or even shooting on DSLR, I can do that for you in exchange for your contribution.  I have some work up on getajosh.com that you can look at for my 2D/3D work. (I haven’t updated it since the cancer diagnosis.) I also have been collaborating with my friend Nolan Mihail on his Youtube channel, The Order of the Jackalope, doing some alt comedy shorts you can look at.  Either way, I can provide something in return.

I know it seems a lot to ask, to help with a car note and insurance, but it’s all that I have left to ensure that I have a means to work after this ordeal.  The mental anguish has been unimaginable, as you can imagine.  While my family has pushed me to create this page back in March, I’ve dragged my feet on this, simply because it’s not in my nature to plea for funds.  It’s taken so much longer just to get medical coverage for the cancer than I had thought it would… I’m just at a loss of options.

I won’t waste any more of your time, but just know that every dollar is greatly appreciated, and even more greatly needed.  Thanks friends.